Clinical Skills Vignettes Flashcards
(180 cards)
HEADACHE:
General approach [3]
Physical Exam (4)
General Workup
LIQOPRA, B4, NTC, WAJISS + [FND, aura, nuchal]
Vitals
Inspect/palpate entire head
Complete Neuro Exam
Fundoscopy
CBC, ESR, CT/MRI, LP
21 yoF presenting w/ several episodes of throbbing, left temporal pain lasting 2-3 hrs, associated with aura and right-sided “FND,” as well as n/v. She has a family hx of migraine.
Ddx? Orders?
1) Migraine with Aura (classic)
2) Idiopathic Intracranial HTN (Pseudotumor cerebri)
3) Tension/Cluster
a) CBC
b) ESR
c) CT/MRI
d) LP
26 yoM presenting with severe RT temporal headaches associated w/ ipsilateral rhinorrhea, eye tearing, and redness. Episodes have occurred at the same time every night for the past week and last for 45 minutes.
1) Cluster Headache
2) Migraine/Tension
3) Intracranial Neoplasm/Pseudotumor cerebri
a) CBC
b) ESR
c) CT/MRI
d) LP
65 yo F presenting with severe, intermittent, right temporal headache, fever, blurred vision in right eye, and pain in jaw when chewing
1) Temporal Arteritis (severe, acute, blurred vision unilaterally, jaw pain)
2) Migraine (visual disturbance, unilateral headache, female)
3) Pseudotumor Cerebri (female, blurred vision, headache)
a) ESR/CRP
b) CBC
c) Temporal Artery Biopsy
d) LP
e) CT/MRI
30 yo F, with a history of allergies, presenting with frontal headache, fever, and rhinorrhea. There is pain on palpation of the frontal and maxillary sinuses.
1) acute bacterial rhinosinusitis (frontal/max sinus tenderness, fever, history of allergies)
2) Migraine, meningitis, tension h/a, ICNeoplasm
a) CBC
b) CT of sinuses (only if refractory/chronic!)
50 yo F with recurrent BL squeezing headaches, 3-4x per week, typically towards the end of her work day. Significant stress in her life and recently decreased caffeine intake.
1) Tension Headache (BL, stress)
2) Caffeine/analgesic Withdrawal Headaches (obv)
3) Depression
a) CBC
b) Electrolytes
c) ESR? CT? LP?
35 yo M with sudden headache, vom, confusion, L hemiplegia, and nuchal rigidity
1) SAH (sudden, n/v, meningismus)
2) Meningitis (nuchal, vom/confusion)
3) Epidural Hematoma (sudden, FND)
4) Intracranial Mass (same)
a) CT head (non-contrast, emergent)
b) LP CSF analysis (if CT scan is negative… r/u papilledema first)
c) CBC, PT/INR
25 yo M with high fever, severe headache, confusion, photophobia, nuchal rigidity
1) bacterial meningitis (nuchal, photophobia, fever)
2) SAH (severe ha)
3) migraine
a) LP analysis
b) CBC
c) CT-head
18 yo F, obese, with pulsatile headache, vom, blurred vision for 2-3 weeks. She is taking OCP
1) IIH (obese female, vision, OCP, pulsatile)
2) Common Migraine w/out aura (OCP, vom/vision, female)
3) Cerebral Venous Thrombosis (blurred vision, OCP)
a) LP
b) CT head
c) CBC
57 yo M with daily pain in right cheek for past month. Electric and stabbing in character and occurs while shaving. 2-4 minutes.
1) Trigeminal Neuralgia (location, shaving trigger, electric/stabbing)
2) TMJ
a) MRI to determine V compression
b) CBC
c) ESR
CONFUSION/MEMORY LOSS:
General Approach [5]
Physical Exam
Workup
LIQOPRA; B4, NTC, WAJISS + [incontinence, ataxia, hypothyroid, depression]
Vitals MMSE Complete Neuro Gait General (ENT, heart, lungs, abdominal, extremities)
VDRL, B12, CBC/BMP, MRI, TSH, LP
81 yo M with progressive confusion past several years, accompanied by forgetfulness and clumsiness. He has hx of HTN, DM, and 2 strokes w/ residual L hemiparesis. Mental status has worsened after each stroke.
1) Vascular Dementia (stepwise)
2) Alzheimer’s (insidious, forgetfulness)
3) NPH (wobbly, wacky)
a) MRI brain
b) Serum B12
c) CBC
d) TSH
e) VDRL!
f) electrolytes
84 yo F with forgetfulness (phone numbers, directionality) and difficulty with ADL; progressive
1) Alzheimer (old age, ADL, forgetfulness)
2) Vascular
3) Age-related cognitive decline
a) MRI brain
b) Serum B12
c) CBC
d) TSH
e) VDRL!
f) electrolytes
72 yo M with memory loss, gait disturbance, urinary incontinence, 6 months.
1) NPH (wet, wacky, wobbly)
2) Alzhemier
3) Organophosphate Toxicity (urinary, CNS, muscle)
a) MRI brain
b) Serum B12
c) CBC
d) TSH
e) VDRL!
f) electrolytes
55 yo M with rapidly progressive change in MStatus, inability to concentrate, memory impairment of 2 months’ duration. Myoclonus, ataxia, startle response.
1) CJD (myoclonus, startle response, AMS, young)
2) Vascular Dementia
3) Depression
a) MRI brain + EEG!
b) Serum B12
c) CBC
d) TSH
e) VDRL!
f) electrolytes
70 yo M, hx DM, presenting with confusion, dizziness, palpitations, diaphoresis, and weakness.
1) Acute Hypoglycemia (diaphoresis, palp, weakness, AMS)
2) Global-ischemic cerebrovascular disease 2/2 persistent hypoglycemia
3) TIA (weakness)
4) Delirium (confusion, elderly)
5) MI (diaphoresis, palpitations)
a) Serum Glucose
b) C-peptide
c) CT-head
d) CBC, electrolytes
e) Troponin I, CK-MB, EKG
55 yo F, gradual AMS and h/a, 2 wks s/p fall with trauma to head, LOC for 2 min
1) Subdural Hemorrhage (LOC, trauma, AMS, 2 wks)
2) SIADH
3) Neoplasm
a) CT-head
b) CBC
c) serum electrolytes
73 yo M, hx of a-fib and R eye cataracts, presenting with acute L eye vision loss, palpitations, SOB. No eye pain, discharge, redness, or photophobia. No headache, weakness, numbness.
1) Retinal Artery Occlusion
2) Retinal Vein Occlusion
3) Acute angle-closure glaucoma
4) Retinal Detachment
5) Temporal Arteritis
6) Sickle Cell Disease
a) Fluorescein angiography, Fundoscopy
b) Intraocular Tonometry
c) Carotid Doppler
d) Echo
e) CBC/ESR/temporal artery biopsy
f) Hgb electrophoresis
68 yo M with 2-month hx of crying spells, excessive sleep, poor hygiene, 15 lb weight loss, all following wife’s death. Doesn’t enjoy time w/ his grandchildren and admits to thinking he has seen his dead wife in line at the supermarket or standing in the kitchen making dinner.
1) Normal Bereavement
2) Adjustment disorder w/ depressed mood
3) MDD w/ psychotic features
a) Physical Exam, MSE
b) TSH, CBC, electrolytes
c) Beck’s Depression Inventory
42 yo F presents with 4 week hx of excessive fatigue, insomnia, and anhedonia. She states that she thinks constantly about death. 5 similar episodes in the past, first in her 20s; 2 previous suicidal attempts. Increased alcohol use in the past month.
1) MDD (past hx, suicidal ideation)
2) Substance-induced mood disorder
3) Persistent Depressive Disorder (Double depression)
a) Physical Exam, MSE
b) TSH, CBC, urine toxicology
c) Beck’s Depression Inventory
d) serum EtOH
26 yo F with 6.5 lb weight loss in the past 2 months, early morning awakening, excessive guilt, Psychomotor retardation, no trigger for depressive episodes but reports several weeks of increased energy, sexual promiscuity, irresponsible spending, and racing thoughts approx. 6 months prior.
1) Bipolar I Disorder (manic episode)
2) Bipolar II (hypomanic episode + depressive episode)
3) Cyclothymic Disorder (hasn’t been 2 years)
a) Physical Exam, MSE
b) TSH, CBC, urine toxicology
c) Beck’s Depression Inventory
MOOD DISORDER:
General Approach
Physical Exam
Workup
DISC-E-GAPS
Vitals, MSE, Neuro, Head/Neck
(Appearance, behavior, speech, mood/affect, thought process/content, cognition, insight, judgement)
a) Physical Exam, MSE
b) TSH!, CBC, electrolytes
c) +/-urine toxicology, +/- serum EtOH
d) Beck’s Depression Inventory
e) family interrogation
19 yo M c/o receiving messages from his television set. He reports that he did not have many friends in high school. In college, he started to suspect his roommate of bugging the phone. He stopped going to classes because he felt that his professors were saying horrible things about him that no one else noticed. He rarely showered or left his room and has recently been hearing a voice from his television set telling him to “guard against the evil empire.”
1) Schizophrenia
2) Schizophreniform
3) Schizoid/typal PD
a) Physical/MSE
b) TSH, CBC, Electrolytes
c) Urine Toxicology
28 yo F c/o seeing bugs crawling on her bed for the past 2 days and hearing loud voices when she is alone in her room. She has never experienced any- thing similar in the past. She recently ingested an unknown substance.
1) Substance-induced psychotic episode
2) Brief Psychotic Disorder
a) URINE TOXICOLOGY
b) BUN/Cr, AST/ALT
c) Physical/MSE
d) TSH, CBC, Electrolytes